No fun in the sun
by Frontline
Summary: Class 2A has gone for a weekend trip to the beach. However, Rei is not enjoying herself...


**All characters and concepts are the property of their respective creators. No copyright infringement is intended, or profit made, from this work of fiction.**

Rei's head broke the surface of the water and she looked across the beach towards where Asuka and the others were playing volleyball. As she watched, Asuka leapt into the air, her red hair flying around her as she intercepted Shinji's serve, slamming the ball back over the net. Kaworu dived to intercept it, but he was too slow. Rei smiled to herself as she struck out for the shore where she had left her clothes. With her blue hair, pale white skin and red eyes, Rei was almost the exact opposite of Asuka. However, as an albino, she couldn't be out in the sun for too long, especially on a day like today. Reaching the shore, she glanced up at Hikari, their Class Rep, who was standing where she could see the whole beach. Hikari nodded at her before turning to yell at two other students who were starting to swim too far from shore. Heading towards where she had left her things, Rei picked up her towel, drying herself off.

'Hey,' Asuka said and Rei looked up to see her walking towards her, taking a deep swig from a bottle of water.

'Hi,' Rei said, slipping her arms out of her swimsuit and pulling on her t-shirt.

'You should come and play,' Asuka said, gesturing to the volleyball court. 'I need some real competition...'

'No, thanks,' Rei said, reaching under her shirt to slid her swimsuit down to hips.

'Come on, Wondergirl,' she said, with a grin. 'This is a vacation. You need to have some fun...'

'It's too hot for me,' Rei said, glancing up at the sun and Asuka's smile faded.

'I'm sorry, Rei. I wasn't thinking...'

'It's fine,' Rei said, pulling on her skirt and reaching under it to remove her swimming suit. 'I'm used to it.'

Grabbing a fresh pair of underwear from her bag, she slipped them on and gathered up her things.

'I'm going to read inside. I'll see you later...'

'Rei,' Asuka said, but she turned away, heading up the beach. 'Rei!'

 _Dammit..._

###############

Rei headed upstairs to the room that she shared with Asuka, putting her bag under her bed and heading towards the window, dropping into the armchair by the open balcony door. The cool breeze from the sea ruffled her hair and she could hear the faint whisper of the waves, as well as the sounds from the volleyball game. With a sigh, Rei picked up a book and started to read.

The sun was just starting to go down when there was a knock at the door.

'Yes?' Rei said, putting down her book as Ms Katsurugi opened the door.

'Hello, Rei,' she said. 'I just wanted to check that you're okay...'

'I'm fine, Ms Katsurugi,' Rei said, turning to stare out of the window and Misato frowned.

'It can't be easy for you,' she said, moving to sit on the bed. 'Having to stay inside while everyone else plays on the beach...'

'I am used to it,' Rei said and Misato nodded.

'...okay,' she said, standing up. 'We'll be having a barbecue on the beach around 8...'

'I will be there,' Rei said and Misato smiled.

'Alright. I'll see you later...'

She left the room, closing the door behind her and almost bumped into Asuka, who was running up the stairs.

'Ms Katsurugi?' she asked. 'Can I talk to you? It's about Rei...'

'Sure. C'mon, let's go to my office...'

###############

'Sit down, Asuka,' Misato said, closing the door and gesturing to the chairs by the window. Asuka hesitated before sitting down, Misato taking the chair opposite her.

'So? What can I do for you?'

'Um...it's about Rei...'

'You already said that,' Misato said, gently.

'Right...well...I guess...I feel bad for her. Everyone else gets to have fun and she's stuck indoors all day. I think we should do something...'

'Such as...?'

'Well, here's what I had in mind...'

###############

Rei struggled into her shorts, sitting down on the bed to put on her sneakers. Grabbing her dark blue hoodie, she pulled it on over her white t-shirt and headed downstairs, stepping out onto the beach. The sun was nearly set, a few stars already visible overhead and the air was pleasantly cool. Looking around, Rei saw Asuka sitting with Kaworu, Kensuke and Mari, while Toji was manning the barbecue, Hikari hovering nervously nearby. Rei moved to join the others, Asuka looking up, smiling as she saw her.

'Hey,' she said. 'You're just in time. The food's nearly ready.'

'I can't believe that Ms Katsurugi left Toji in charge of the barbecue,' Mari said.

'Toji's not a bad cook,' Kensuke said. 'But, I'm glad Hikari's there to reign him in...'

'Yeah,' Asuka said, turning to Rei. 'Listen, I feel bad about what I said and about you having to be stuck indoors all doors...'

'It's alright,' Rei said, hugging her knees. 'Like I said, I'm used to it...'

'I know. Anyway, once we've eaten, I've got a surprise for you...'

###############

Rei followed Asuka and the others down the beach, towards the water.

'Where are we going?' she asked and Asuka glanced over her shoulder.

'You'll see,' she said. 'Here we are...'

She moved aside and Rei stepped forward to see a volleyball net stretched across the beach, a rough caught marked out in the sand.

'Nothing to stop you playing, now,' Asuka said, with a grin. 'Come on, let's show the boys how it's done...'

Rei gave her a quick smile, taking off her hoodie and stepping onto the court, followed by the others.

'Here we go,' Asuka said, serving the ball towards Kaworu, who sent back over the net. Rei leapt to intercept it, slamming it back to hit the sand at Toji's feet.

'Way to go, Wondergirl,' Asuka yelled and Rei grinned as Kaworu retrieved the ball...

###############

Rei was standing on the balcony, looking out over the water, surrounded by the soothing sound of the waves. Despite being dressed in only a thin nightshirt and trousers, the air was still warm enough to be comfortable. Behind her, she heard the bathroom door opened and Asuka stepped out, a towel wrapped around.

'We showed the boys how to play,' she said with a grin as she crossed to her bed, grabbing a clean set of underwear and slipping them on. Turning her back to Rei, she removed her towel and pulled her night shirt over her head.

'Yes, we did,' Rei said. 'I...thank you...'

'Forget about it,' Asuka said. 'Come on, we should get some sleep. We've got the whole weekend ahead of us...'

She climbed into bed and Rei did the same, pulling the covers up to her chin as Asuka turned the lights out.

'Good night, Asuka...'

'Night, Rei.'

 **Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Any reviews, comments or constructive criticisms are very welcome.**


End file.
